


Under the Alder Tree

by LeeBlack



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alive Laura Hale, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Good Peter, M/M, Werefox Stiles
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-07-01
Updated: 2013-07-24
Packaged: 2017-12-16 18:34:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,244
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/865277
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LeeBlack/pseuds/LeeBlack
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Hale Pack wasn't the only family to be destroyed by hunters. After the fire, one mother and child in particular did their best to stay under the radar of the hunters, hiding and mourning the loss of the Hales, but alive. Unfortunately, big game hunters only stay away so long, and the return of the two prodigal Hales means it's only a matter of time before the smell of gunpowder once again permeates Beacon Hills.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

"You're late, jerkass,” Stiles said without looking up from what was in front of him. "I owe Laura ten bucks and red velvet cupcakes because you didn't show up on Tuesday," he said.

"You didn't even know I was coming here, furball,” he said, sitting down next to Stiles and looking at what was spread out in front of him. "Precalc?"

"I totally knew you were coming here. This is my roof, dude, I heard you like eight miles out, and it's Trig," Stiles said, finally looking up from his notebook and over at the newcomer. "And Chemistry and half an English paper about allegories in Gatsby,” he said. "It's easier for me to focus out here. What took you so long, Derek?" he asked, smiling slightly at the other man. "Laura said you hated New York."

He shrugged.

Stiles frowned. "Are you back to stay?"

Another shrug.

There was silence for a brief moment.

"How long has Laura been sleeping here?"

"Two weeks, maybe, but not consistently," Stiles said. "She showed up a few weeks ago and took me out to lunch so we could talk, and I found out that she was staying in that seedy motel outside of town."

"The Benson Inn?"

Stiles nodded. "Her room seriously smelled like old milk and cats, so I cleaned up the loft part of the attic and I made sure that Mom's futon was in good shape, and then I left the skylight unlocked," he said. "I'm pretty sure Dad doesn't know she's back, but he's never really been Laura's biggest fan, so he might be ignoring her."

Derek frowned and looked over at him. "Why?"

"He thought she was a bad influence," he said, smirking up at Derek. "Whenever she babysat, we'd end up getting into trouble, but I think he's still really pissed about the time Laura let me run with you guys one afternoon and I ended up stuck in that mud pit out past the lake."

He scowled. "You broke your left arm and your collarbone in two places getting out because you refused to let anyone help you get out,” he said.

Stiles laughed. "Dude, I got out, didn't I?" he asked. "And I won the race that day, so it wasn't all bad." He hesitated for a long moment. "Where are you staying?" When he was answered by silence, he scowled. "You're not camping out in the woods, are you?" More silence. "Dude," he said, leveling an unimpressed look on the man. 

"Stop calling me dude."

"The _woods_?!" Stiles asked, not even trying to hide his frustration. "Are you _kidding_ me?!"

Derek growled, neon blue eyes flashing in warning. "It's not like it's an inconvenience," he said in a hushed voice. "I'm not a domesticated pet, and I've slept in the woods before."

"Yeah, right, sure," Stiles said indignantly. "That makes total sense, except for the part where you know you've had a standing invitation in my house since you were like eight years old and we've always had room to share," he said. "If you don't want to take the futon, I can tell my dad you're back in town and you need to use the guest room." He paused for a moment before shrugging. "Or we can bunk together. I got a queen bed for Christmas but we're both bigger, so it'll be more cramped than when we were little," he said.

Derek frowned, watching Stiles almost curiously.

The younger man shifted uncomfortably under the inspection, clearly not sure what to think of it. "What?"

"Why does it matter so much where I'm staying?" he asked.

"Because, dude, you're my friend," Stiles said with another shrug.

"I've been gone for six years."

Stiles shook his head. "Closer to seven, actually," he said. "Hey, what time is it?"

Derek glanced at his watch. "Half past four, why?"

"Cause I'm starving right now and it's Saturday morning so the diner's open. If you buy me food, you can tell me about what you've been doing for the past seven years and I'll tell you about what's been going on here," Stiles said with a grin.

"What's been going on here?"

"Nice try, wolfy," Stiles said, his grin turning smug. "But my lips are sealed until I have food."

Derek huffed out a quiet laugh. "Should it be French toast or grilled cheese and bacon?" he asked.

"Both." He got a scowl in response to that. "What? Dude, I'm a growing boy! I need food to survive."

"You've always been a greedy little pest," Derek said with a smirk.

Stiles looked up at him, his glare rendered much less effective with the way the corners of his lips kept twitching up. "If this is about the quail again, I'm gonna call bullshit. Again."

"Really."

"I was hungry and it's not my fault you didn't know that it's easier to eat a bird _after_ you kill it," he said. At the quirk of Derek's eyebrow, he outright grinned. "And really, if you don't kill your bird and it gets away and some greedy little furball gets to it before you can fix your mistake, that's on you, dude. Now go get me my breakfast."

Derek huffed but stood up. "Bossy."

Stiles laughed and waved toward the street. "Go on, fetch," he said. That elicited a growl and a thump upside the back of his head. He rubbed the offended area and glared up at Derek. "The hell was that for?"

"The dog jokes have never been funny."

"Psh, my dog jokes have alway been funny," he said. The flat, unimpressed look Derek sent him wouldn't change his mind about that, either. "But seriously, I had a bowl of mac and cheese like eight hours ago and nothing since then, so food would make our conversation, like, way easier," he said. "And I don't know about New York or wherever, but things have been busy here since you've been gone."

Derek scowled, clearly waiting for elaboration. Stiles didn't give it to him, instead looking pointedly at the street again before turning back to his homework. "Don't make me hunt you down again, fur ball," he said before making his way off the roof and into the forest. He'd pick up the Camaro from where he'd parked it and drive to the diner.

"'S not like I was hiding, what with my window open and me sitting on the roof in plain sight," Stiles shot back. He didn't look up from whatever problem he was working on, but the fond affection came off of him in waves. "It's good to have you back, dude. I missed you," he muttered quietly.


	2. Chapter 2

It became a familiar, almost comforting routine for the both of them. Derek would go for a run on an old path in the Preserve, running past Stiles' house on his way back to the hotel. If the younger man was on his roof - which seemed to happen more often than not - he'd join him for an hour or two. Most of the time they just talked, or Derek would help Stiles with some of his homework. 

When he'd asked what had happened in Beacon Hills in his and Laura's absence, Stiles had been incredibly enthusiastic, preening a bit as he told Derek that the territory had been relatively stable for having lost its established pack and launching into not-as-wildly-exaggerated-as-one-might-think tales about what else he'd found in Hale territory. He hadn't skimped on the stories, which ranged from a pixie infestation in the old Baptist Church to a wyvern nesting in the northernmost parts of Hale territory, where there were a few mountains for the creature to raise its young. 

Overall, he knew Stiles was telling him the truth, but Derek was getting the distinct feeling that he was deliberately avoiding talking about something. 

He'd returned the favor, offering a few stories of his own when Stiles asked about what he'd been up to. He didn't talk about the hunters chasing them for years, or the problems with the packs he and Laura had come across before settling in their small, cramped apartment in a particularly shady part of New York. Those stories would stay with Derek until he died. 

One night, almost two weeks into their routine, Derek found himself growing increasingly curious about Stiles' avoidance tactics. After he'd finished checking over Stiles' math homework - which, as usual, had been essentially perfect, Derek settled on watching Stiles for a few minutes.

The younger man shifted under the scrutiny before frowning. "What, dude?"

"You haven't talked that much about any stray werewolves coming through the territory. This is valuable territory, and there were always interlopers trying to steal parts of the land from us. Without an established pack here, there should have been a free-for-all by lone Alphas and immature packs."

Stiles shrugged. "Peter told me to keep quiet about that," he said. As soon as the words were uttered, he fell silent, his face going pale.

"Peter?" Derek asked, his eyes narrowing dangerously at Stiles. 

"I shouldn't have said that," Stiles said, his voice barely audible. He avoided looking at Derek as he snatched his notebook back and shoved it into his backpack. "The territory is stable and you're not going to get into trouble for being here without asking first."

"Why would I-" Derek froze, the meaning behind Stiles' words sinking in. "There's an Alpha here," he said. It wasn't a question, but Stiles tried unsuccessfully to suppress a flinch, which was an answer in and of itself. "Peter's an Alpha." Another flinch. That realization startled a snarl out of Derek, his eyes flashing blue. "How long have you known?" he asked, his words a bit muffled, a growl creeping into his voice as his wolf made its irritation known.

Stiles' pupils changed and he twitched slightly, his claws coming out before he forced them back in - the only reactions that betrayed his supernatural orientation. "It doesn't matter," he snapped.

"Years, then," Derek snapped back. "Why the hell didn't you tell Laura? Or me?"

"Laura told me that I wasn't allowed to try to find you or her after you left," Stiles retorted, his eyes changing again, the almost feline pupils not fading away. "She told me to lose your number, and that I was going to get my mom and dad killed if the hunters found out about our connection," he said. "You and Laura left us alone and my mom was terrified that the hunters would find out about us, or that my dad would find out about us, and then she got sick!" he said, zipping up his backpack. "So after you left I spent a year and a half watching my mom wither away and die slowly and pretending I didn't just lose an entire pack and watching my dad try his fucking best to drink himself to death! I found Peter's room and he was the only one who didn't expect anything from me! I didn't have to play dumb or watch him wither up and die or make sure he didn't do something stupid after drinking himself stupid!"

Derek growled aloud at that. "Why didn't you tell me about that when I first came here!"

"Ir's none of your business!"

"The hell it's not!" Derek yelled, his voice just short of a roar. "It's pack business!"

"Not yours," Stiles snarled. "You left!"

"I went with my Alpha, Stilinski! That's what wolves do! And you're not a wolf! You had no business keeping this kind of information from me! This is my family, my _pack_ that you're dealing with!" he said, fangs appearing as his voice rose. "Does Laura know about this, or have you been lying to _her_ too?!" 

Stiles flinched away from him, his eyes going wide. "Peter asked me not to tell!" he hissed, his own fangs flashing briefly. "He asked me not to tell anyone because it's not safe and I promised! I didn't even tell you on purpose, asshole!" Almost before he'd finished speaking, Stiles launched himself off the roof and into his room and shutting the window with a quiet but firm thud. Even in the midst of his anger, he made sure not to disturb his father.

The hollow clicks of the window being locked in the otherwise quiet morning was enough to pull Derek out of his rage. He froze, doing his best to pull himself back under control. He managed it in time to see the dark brown blur of Stiles in his fox form jumping out the kitchen window and booking it into the forest as fast as he could. 

He didn't even try to follow the younger man - not only had Stiles always been one of the fastest on the runs, but he also had the advantage of familiarity. Derek might remember the trails, but forests change over the years, and he'd been absent while Stiles had no doubt been prancing around watching those very changes take place. He'd scent the boy out later and demand answers from him then. For now, though, he had to go see if it was true.

He was about halfway to the hospital when his phone rang.

"Get back to the hotel. Someone left a message for us," Laura said without so much as a greeting.

That statement alone had Derek's hackles up and he put the Peter issue aside for now. "I'll be there in five minutes."

**Author's Note:**

> There were a few werefox!Stiles stories floating around the internet and I got bored one day during a thunderstorm. Thus, this was born. Like with the others, I'm not entirely sure where this is going, but it's a complete AU from the series and it starts when Laura comes back to Beacon Hills. There will be some connections with canon events, but I don't know how close I'm gonna stay with it.


End file.
